ANY sudden behavior changes should be met with a vet visit first to rule out any medical problems.  please, take your dog to the vet and get him checked out.   i’d also talk to a veterinary behaviorist about this situation.

If you have to remove that sweet dog from your home, call a reputable rescue in your area and try to find a good home for him. Perhaps his tail was pulled harshly and it was just a warning to your child, but I understand she is too small to know better. You can take him to a behaviorist and see what that say but please don’t put a family member in a shelter. Can you imagine what he would feel like after only know your family all these years. Best of luck to you!

This is one of the hardest situations I have ever had to deal with. He is definitely a family member, and this is why it is very conflicting for me. I have family members telling me to just send him to the humane society but I know what would happen and I cannot do that without feeling extremely guilty. If it was just me I would do anything to help the dog, but my husband does not agree. I am in a very difficult situation and heartbroken. I thank everyone for their honest advice and will take this all to heart and continue to soul search in which road I should take. I do not believe he needs to die in any way shape or form.

i can’t imagine how difficult this is, but please, do the medical checks to make sure there isn’t something else going on. it’ll make it easier for a rescue to place him, as well.

Thank you, I will be looking into the Chihuahua rescue to see if they can assist me, I truly appreciate your help and honesty!

Totally and absolutely agree with P K here. The brutal truth is you allowed this to happen by letting an 8 month old baby pull your dog around, and how many times has she done it before? Look at it from the dogs point of view, if someone was constantly poking you and pulling your hair what would you do?
You would retaliate. Which is just what your dog has done.
This is honestly not your dogs fault. You shut him away now and you are compounding the problem, I’m not surprised hes stressed and barking….dogs pick up on our emotions very well indeed.
Please don’t rehome this dog. Rather be sensible and keep your baby out of his way for both their sakes. Again I agree with PK I would not let a dog go to a home with a child under the age of 7 years when they are old enough to treat a dog with respect.

Hey Brittany,

I just came across an article in The Whole Dog Journal about getting your dog ready to deal with a baby – this article mentions a company Family Paws Parent Education in Cary, NC which has a program, “Dogs and Toddlers” which is available to families through a worldwide network of more than 200 licensed presenters.  Jennifer Shryock developed this program in response to a huge number of families that wanted to surrender a dog after an incident (bite) had already occurred with a child in the home.  This program takes an in-depth look at helping the family dog successfully live with kids (and since he has been living with the 2 boys successfully I don’t think you have a big leap to hurdle!).

I can’t encourage you enough to give a trainer a try – they can help you design a training plan to keep everyone safe, while minimizing the dog’s anxiety.

One of the techniques recommended in the article is to teach your dog to be calm and happy in a room that is gated away from where the baby has access.  This works best if it is a room where the dog can see your family.  For example gate the kitchen so the dog can be in there with you while you cook and he can peek out and see the living room or family room.  Since it is dangerous for babies to be in the kitchen anyway (hot food or knives falling, reaching for pot handles…!) it makes sense to let the dog be in there, but not the baby.  The older boy can let himself through the baby gate to interact with the dog but the younger children are kept safely away in an area where they can be overseen but not touching the dog.

Ways to keep the dog happy in this space is to interact with him there, and when you are not interacting give him toys and chews to work on.  A Kong stuffed full of goodness and then frozen will keep him content for hours.  A trainer can help you with this!

I am just so worried for this sweet little guy!  My best wish for him is that he stay in the home he has known his whole life, with the people he loves.  But if that is out of the question I wish I could come scoop him up!

Thank you again for this information! I am full-heartedly trying to convince my husband that we can help our dog and keep him at the same time. He has had no prior aggressive behavior towards anyone in the family or anyone I bring into the home (the only aggression he has ever showed is to strangers when he is outside in the fenced yard – but I just think this is because he is very protective of his territory)…. I really do appreciate your opinions, help AND suggestions (rather than just being told I am at fault for everything).

have you taken this puppy to the vet?  that’s the best way to ensure your puppy gets the care it needs.  

I don’t know anything about veterinary medicine so I won’t pretend to . But I gave the titan the best care I could around the clock care every hour on the hour with fluids and medicine to combat the symptoms . He fought it very hard for 4 days but I guess I just didn’t do enough .. I do blame myself because I couldn’t get him the vet care . I hate that he passed in any kind of pain but I did make sure he didn’t go alone I held him rocked him sung to him . I didn’t have him long . He wasn’t even my dog but I loved him like family and I cared for him as much as I could . I regret all of the things that happened but I don’t regret loving him.

UPDATE: took him to the vet today, for the past couple days before our appointment we’ve had him on bed rest and that helped alot. The limping got less severe and it seemed like he could put more weight down on that leg. The vet had said it could be a partailly torn ligament in his knee from the exam. X-rays at the beginning of next month and he’s currently on some doggy pain killers and inflammation drugs and two weeks bed rest! But he’s walking on it even better with the drugs even after one dose.

Get him to the vet asap blood in the poop is usually a sign of parvo 

I LIKE STRONGIT ( IN TWO DOSES ) YOUR VET WILL ADMINISTER. FOR PARASITES/ WORMS / FLEAS/ EAR MITES / TAPE WORM/ ROUND WORM/ LUNG WORM, ALL MY CATS Take ” REVOLUTION”– by Rx ( PRESCRIPTION ) FROM YOUR VET ..LONCE MONTHLY !!??. MAKE SURE ANIMAL IS HEALTHY..ITS STRONG. ITS A TOPICAL VIAL TO BE PUT ON NECK — ( LIKE ADVANTAGE )…Vicki H. ( Cat Rescuer X 35 Years ).

Hello Cheryl….you would need to consult a Vet to find out why one side of her jaw is firmer on one side than the other. It could be an infection, it could be congenitial or something else entirely. I would get her checked over by a Vet as soon as you can. 

oof, that’s tough.  you have a lot of work ahead of you.

first: please report this person.  they’re breaking the law by selling puppies under 8 weeks of age.  they’ve done you no favors by selling you a puppy that is lacking in ALL socialization with littermates.

second: at this point, i believe puppies should be eating a gruel made with puppy milk and puppy-specific kibble.  http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/whelpingphotos4.htm

Hi Brian……..its your decision of course but I would never advise anyone to get two puppies at the same time. Wait until the first one is 18 months or so then get another one.

Anyhow…..back to crates. Its really up to the individual whether you crate your dogs or not. They are very useful though. Never use them as a punishment, crates should be a happy place for dogs to go. If you cover them, leaving the door section uncovered they make a great “den” and dogs love dens.

If you decide to carry on with the crates after housetraining you can leave the door open for the dog to go in and out as they wish. If you need to go out and make sure the dog is safe pop them in the crates. Its really not fair to leave a dog locked up for hours though. You can buy water bowls which clip on the crate so the dog has water too. 

Unless you are absolutely certain your dogs will be safe to roam around the house, plants are gone so they can’t chew on them ect then I would definately keep the crates. 

Good luck and have fun with your puppies! 

Hi again Brian, I understand your logic of having two puppies if you both work. Make sure you get a nice big cage so they have room to move-and think of them as adults when you buy it.
This is my personal opinion and I probably shouldn’t be airing it here lol
Having a puppy is, believe me, like having a baby in the house. To care for one puppy, housetrain, basic training, socialising and financial costs (believe me there will be) is very hard work and time consuming. To do all this for two is twice all of the above.
However, if you and your girlfriend are both prepared to dedicate a lot of time and effort to a puppy each it would work.
As for how long to leave them in crates….I know people leave puppies and dogs in them day in day out. Yours would have to be in crates for quite a while as you both work.
I guess its up to the owner but you may have problems with housetraining them….puppies ideally need to be put outside every hour or so for them to get the message.
I’m probably the wrong person to ask about this as I wouldn’t let a puppy go to someone who works all day…..again my personal opinion.
You seem to have given this a lot of thought and I’m sure it will all work out….it will be hard work for you both to start with though.
So good luck and enjoy your dogs.. I hope you have many happy years together. ?

Hello Ashlyn

I honestly wouldn’t take any chances with this situation. Contact your Vet for advice. 

Good luck. 

I agree, it takes time for a little pup to build confidence! He is tiny and just spending time with him in the yard working with his basic commands and puppy treats will get him confident. Soon he will be dragging you everywhere! I started carrying small tidbits of treats in my pocket and after pottying I would treat him. Then walking around the house with the leash attached to me as he gets older taught him to watch me and when he had that connection I would begun to walk side by side him outside and keep eye contact when I switched direction and he had to switch with me. I would give him the command to sit occasionally and then treat him. Soon I said his name…then pointed to my nose then a treat when he had eye contact. It takes time and patience to teach them to connect with you and time will build his or her confidence.